Family Time: Make flea prevention part of your spring plans

Tuesday

Mar 29, 2011 at 12:01 AMMar 29, 2011 at 1:15 PM

Weekly family rail, with pet tips, a review of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” and more.

Tip of the Week

Spring is an exciting time for pet owners - and cats and dogs - who have been cooped up inside all winter. But as your pets resume outdoor activity, it's time to again think about protecting them from a common pest - fleas. Here are five flea control tips to keep you and your pets happy and healthy:

- Regularly vacuum any place your pets spend time in your house, as carpet provides a perfect habitat for immature fleas, such as flea larvae (maggots) and eggs. Any bedding or blankets your pets come into contact with should also be washed regularly.

- If you have multiple cats or dogs, treat them at the same time for fleas since they can pass from pet to pet. This will help ensure that fleas won't have an animal to act as the host agent.

- Take extra care if you live in an area that has a higher prevalence of fleas. Ask your veterinarian about local flea conditions or visit www.PetParents.com to check the flea prevalence in your area.

- Given that flea eggs can survive for up to one year without hatching, the Companion Animal Parasite Council recommends that pet owners not only treat pets year-round, but treat them for life.

- Because fleas can take up to eight months to reach adulthood, it is important to use a monthly preventive product that can kill fleas at all life stages.

- ARA

Family Screening Room

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules”

Rated: PG (for some mild rude humor and mischief)

Length: 96 minutes

Synopsis: Back in middle school after summer vacation, Greg Heffley and his older brother Rodrick must deal with their parents' misguided attempts to have them bond.

Violence/scary rating: 2.5

Sexual-content rating: 1

Profanity rating: 2

Drugs/alcohol rating: 1.5

Family Time rating: 2. This is a good family movie, and critics like it as well.

(Ratings are judged on a five-point scale, with 5 being “bad for kids” and 1 being “fine for kids.”)

Book Report

“Where's the Easter Bunny? (Splat the Cat Series),” by Rob Scotton

Ages: 4-7

Pages: 16

Synopsis: Easter is almost here! Splat has to tell the Easter Bunny what he wants most. A really big Easter egg, of course! But where is the Easter Bunny? Do you know?

Did You Know

According to a study recently published in Pediatrics, home remedies don’t do anything to ease babies who have colic.